BNF Healthy Eating Week 2025: Dates, Themes, Activities & A Complete UK Guide

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2 months ago

At-a-glance: the essentials

What: BNF Healthy Eating Week (HEW) – a national campaign led by the British Nutrition Foundation that champions healthy, sustainable eating and lifestyle habits across schools, workplaces, families and communities. British Nutrition Foundation
When: Monday 9 June to Friday 13 June 2025 (the second full week of June, as widely promoted by partner organisations and event listings). Awareness Dayslivingwellnorthtyneside.co.ukFacebook
How to take part: Free downloadable activity packs and resources are typically available for early years, primary and secondary schools and for workplaces/adults. Registration is encouraged. Public Health Wales
Related initiative: Snack-tember 2025 – a new BNF month-long focus in September 2025 on healthier snacking for children and young people (ages 5–16). British Nutrition Foundation

Good to know: Since 2013, BNF has used June to engage educators and children with healthy and sustainable diets through HEW. British Nutrition Foundation

What is BNF Healthy Eating Week?

BNF Healthy Eating Week is a UK-wide moment each June where schools, early-years settings, colleges, universities, workplaces and community groups unite to shine a spotlight on practical, everyday steps that make eating well easier—and more enjoyable. It’s designed to be flexible: you can run all five days in sequence, or pick and mix activities that fit your timetable, curriculum, rota or shift pattern. British Nutrition Foundation

Typical aims of the Week

Build food skills and confidence (meal planning, label reading, cooking basics).
Encourage balanced choices in line with the UK Eatwell Guide.
Promote hydration, movement and overall wellbeing.
Support sustainability (more plants, more pulses and wholegrains, less food waste).
Involve whole communities—parents/carers, local businesses, health partners.

When is Healthy Eating Week 2025?

Most reputable calendars and regional wellbeing partners list 9–13 June 2025. That’s Monday to Friday and follows the established June tradition. If you’re publishing diary dates, this is the safest UK editorial line to use. Awareness Dayslivingwellnorthtyneside.co.ukFacebook

Tip for planners: Tie assemblies, tutor-time sessions or staff briefings to each day’s focus. If your setting is off-timetable (exam weeks, trips, sports days), you can still run one theme per week across the half-term.

What’s the 2025 theme?

At the time of writing, BNF’s 2025 theme page is not separately published, but education partners and workplace wellbeing sites indicate the ongoing framework built around “Find Your Healthier You”—supported by five practical daily themes many UK schools already know:

Know the facts
Make a healthier choice
Plan for success
Stay hydrated
Keep moving

These five pillars are widely used by teaching resources and previous BNF materials (the wording can vary slightly, but the intent remains the same). TwinklBritish Nutrition Foundationweareincludability.co.uk

The five daily themes—explained and ready to run

Below you’ll find plug-and-play ideas for each day. Adapt for age, ability and setting.

Monday: Know the facts

Goal: Boost nutrition literacy; debunk common myths.

Starter (10 mins): “Fact or fiction?” quickfire quiz (e.g., Do we need carbs? Yes. Are all fats ‘bad’? No—focus on unsaturated fats.)
Core (30–45 mins):
- Eatwell Guide mapping: Learners sort foods into the main food groups and estimate plate proportions.
- Label sleuths: Compare two similar products (yoghurt, breakfast cereals, sauces). Discuss traffic lights, fibre per 100g, and added sugars per portion.
Take-home: “One thing I learned today…” postcard or sticky note to share at home.
Workplaces: Host a myth-busting ‘lunchtime learning’. Invite local dietitians or wellbeing leads to Q&A.

Tuesday: Make a healthier choice

Goal: Practice simple swaps, not perfection.

Classroom: Build a “swap bank” for popular meals—white to wholegrain wraps; crisps to nuts/seeds (age-appropriate), flavoured yoghurt to plain + fruit, sugary drinks to water.
Canteen: Feature 5-A-Day hero dishes (veg-packed pasta, bean chilli jacket potato, rainbow couscous).
Home link: Family challenge—add one extra portion of veg to dinner tonight; bonus if it’s a pulse (beans, lentils, chickpeas).
Workplaces: Promote balanced snack stations (fruit bowls, wholegrain crackers, hummus) and show quick label checks for fibre and salt.

Wednesday: Plan for success

Goal: Meal planning and batch-cooking confidence.

Primary: Create a 5-day packed-lunch builder with a simple template:
- Base (wholegrain wrap/roll/pasta),
- Protein (eggs, beans, chicken, tuna),
- 2x fruit/veg,
- Dairy or alternative,
- Water.
Secondary/Post-16: Run a £10 budget challenge to plan two balanced evening meals for four (costings, shopping list, batch-cook steps, safe storage).
Families: Share a one-page meal-prep starter kit (batch soups, traybakes, overnight oats).
Workplaces: “Fridge forage” lunches—teach simple combos using leftovers to reduce food waste.

Thursday: Stay hydrated

Goal: Nudge water first, reduce free sugars.

Assembly/demo: Sugar reveal—stack of teaspoons representing popular drinks, then compare to water, milk, no-added-sugar options.
Across the day: Hydration stations and refill points; encourage learners and staff to bring re-usable bottles and track top-ups.
Science tie-in: Link hydration to concentration, mood, and physical performance.
Workplaces: Add bottle-refill maps to the intranet; run a 7-day “2-litre target” challenge (adjust for age/health needs).

Friday: Keep moving

Goal: Make movement joyful and routine.

In-class: 5-minute burst sessions between lessons; active maths or spelling relays.
Whole-school: Lunchtime staff vs students step challenge; celebrate “active commutes”.
Workplaces: 15-minute team walks; “standing meeting” pilot; stair prompts and calendar nudges.
Reflection: What stuck this week? Which habit will you keep?

These five strands appear consistently across partner materials and prior BNF resources used by UK schools and workplaces, making them reliable pillars for your 2025 plan. TwinklBritish Nutrition Foundation

Who can take part?

Early years & primary – story-led resources, simple food-group games, veg tasting, snack-making, garden pots.
Secondary & FE – label analysis, costed meal plans, sustainability debates, cooking sessions.
Workplaces – bite-size learning, canteen nudges, hydration challenges, movement prompts.
Families & carers – home-link tasks, simple batch recipes, Friday ‘cook-along’.

Resources & registration: Look out for free downloadable packs for schools (EYFS/primary/secondary) and workplaces/adults through BNF channels and partner wellbeing calendars. Public Health Wales

How Healthy Eating Week fits with Snack-tember 2025

In September 2025, BNF is piloting Snack-tember—a month dedicated to helping children and young people explore, try and make healthier, more sustainable snacks with more fruit & veg, more wholegrains, beans and pulses, and less saturated fat, salt and sugars. Schools and youth settings can register to access recipes, posters and activity ideas for ages 5–16. British Nutrition Foundation

Why it matters: HEW builds broad food skills and habits in June; Snack-tember then applies those skills to the snack choices that make up a big part of everyday eating for young people. Together, they create a year-round rhythm.

Evidence-informed pillars to weave through the week

Balance across food groups
Use the Eatwell principles to guide proportions over time (more plants, pulses and wholegrains; dairy/alternatives; protein sources; small amounts of healthier fats).
5-A-Day made easy
Fresh, frozen, tinned (in water/juice), dried and juiced (limit to 150 ml/day) all count—build them into meals as default.
Fibre focus
Aim higher with wholegrain swaps, pulses in sauces, nuts/seeds (age-appropriate), and veg in bakes and soups.
Hydration first
Make water the default; keep sugary drinks occasional; spotlight refill points (see Thursday ideas).
Salt & saturated fat
Compare labels; use herbs/spices, citrus and umami (mushrooms, tomatoes) for flavour; choose leaner proteins and unsaturated fats (rapeseed/olive oil).
Food skills for life
Knife basics, safe storage, batch cooking, portioning and smart shopping (unit pricing, seasonal picks).
Sustainability
Plan meals to reduce waste, embrace plant-forward dishes, and use leftovers creatively.
Inclusion & culture
Celebrate diverse food traditions; offer allergy-aware alternatives; co-create menus with learners.

A ready-to-use 5-day action plan (schools & colleges)

Monday – Nutrition Mythbusters

10-minute quiz; wall display of top 10 myths corrected.
Homework: Watch a short video and bring one question tomorrow.

Tuesday – Swap Lab

Cooking demo: bean & veg quesadillas on wholegrain wraps; yoghurt-fruit pots.
Maths link: Compare price per 100g across brands; calculate saving per portion.

Wednesday – Plan & Prep

Tutor-time planner for five packed lunches; cost it, shop it, prep it (role-play).
Design posters for a “Leftovers Lunch” Friday event.

Thursday – Hydration Champions

Each class tracks bottle refills; science: osmosis demo with plant stems or a cognition mini-task pre/post hydration break (age-appropriate).
Tuck shop trial: water + fruit only.

Friday – Move More Festival

Inter-house step challenge; active playground circuits; “walk & talk” forms.
End-of-week assembly: celebrate small wins; pledge cards for one habit to keep.

A workplace toolkit you can deploy next month

Leadership note announcing HEW dates and aims; recognise teams that participate.
Canteen collab: feature a 5-A-Day hot option and a wholegrain special daily.
Hydration drive: map refill points; offer branded re-usable bottles; add meeting auto-prompts (“Bring water”).
Learning bites: 15-minute “label reading” and “smart swaps” sessions; recordable for remote teams.
Movement nudges: meeting-length timers (25/50 minutes) with stretch cues; stairs first policy; calendar “micro-walks”.
Measure & celebrate: pre/post pulse survey on energy and focus; share simple dashboards.

Family-friendly ideas for the week

Taste rainbow night: 5 coloured veg/fruit dishes across the week—track tastes with stickers.
Snack-builder jars: small reuse jars with DIY mixes (budget variants using oats, seeds, dried fruit).
Sunday batch club: soups, traybakes, chilli, and overnight oats—label tubs with date and portions.
Leftover makeovers: turn roast veg into frittatas; rice into stuffed peppers; chicken into noodle bowls.
Hydration habit: set a family refill rule—top up when you walk into the kitchen.

Low-cost menu ideas for a 5-day HEW

Breakfasts:

Porridge + grated apple + cinnamon;
Wholegrain toast + peanut butter + banana;
Overnight oats + frozen berries;
Scrambled eggs + tomatoes + toast;
Natural yoghurt + oats + kiwi.

Packed lunches:

Wholegrain pasta salad + chickpeas + peppers + sweetcorn;
Tuna & bean wrap + crunchy salad;
Hummus + grated carrot + cucumber + pitta;
Leftover veggie chilli jacket;
Egg & spinach roll + fruit.

Dinners:

Veg-loaded spaghetti with lentils;
Sheet-pan chicken & veg + herby couscous;
Stir-fried tofu/beans + mixed veg + brown rice;
Baked potatoes + mixed bean chilli;
Fish (or bean) tacos + slaw + corn.

Snacks:

Fruit + yoghurt;
Handful of nuts/seeds (age-appropriate);
Wholegrain crackers + cottage cheese;
Veg sticks + hummus;
Popcorn (air-popped).

Measuring impact (and telling your story)

Participation: headcounts for assemblies, cook sessions, walks.
Food environment: track sales of water/wholegrains/veg sides during the week.
Knowledge & confidence: 3-question pre/post quiz; self-ratings on label reading, planning.
Hydration: bottle refills or dispenser volumes (rough).
Movement: average steps or “minutes moved”.
Sustainability: tally portions of pulses/wholegrains; estimate food waste reduction.

Create a one-page infographic for newsletters and governors/leadership—use it to secure support for Snack-tember and future cooking facilities.

Accessibility, inclusion and safeguarding

Offer visual timetables, sensory-friendly tasting options, quiet spaces, and opt-in tasting for learners with sensory sensitivities.
Provide allergen-safe recipes and clear cross-contamination procedures.
Respect cultural and religious practices around food and fasting; co-design menus.
Make tasks scaffolded (word banks, sentence starters, dual-coded visuals) to support literacy needs.
Risk-assess practical sessions; follow school/setting food hygiene policies.

Communications pack: ready-made lines you can use

Press/website intro (≈80 words):
We’re taking part in BNF Healthy Eating Week 2025 (9–13 June) to celebrate great food, hydration and movement. Throughout the week we’ll run fun, practical activities—from myth-busting and label sleuthing to healthy snack-making and hydration challenges—aimed at building confidence and healthier habits for life. Everyone can join in—children, staff, families and our wider community. Watch our channels for daily updates, tips and recipes, and share your wins with #HealthyEatingWeek.

Social snippets:

Mon—Know the facts: We’re busting food myths and decoding labels today. What’s one thing you’ve learned? #HealthyEatingWeek
Tue—Healthier choices: Small swaps, big wins. What’s your favourite wholegrain or veg-boosted meal?
Wed—Plan for success: Packed-lunch builders and batch-cook tips incoming!
Thu—Stay hydrated: Water first. Bring your bottle and refill with us.
Fri—Keep moving: Finish strong with our fun movement challenge.

Frequently asked questions

Is BNF Healthy Eating Week definitely 9–13 June 2025?
Multiple UK event calendars and local wellbeing partners list 9–13 June 2025. If your setting needs absolute confirmation, register with BNF for official updates—but these dates are widely used across the UK. Awareness Dayslivingwellnorthtyneside.co.uk

What’s the official theme?
Schools often follow the five-pillar structure (Know the facts; Make a healthier choice; Plan for success; Stay hydrated; Keep moving). Several education partners reference the overarching message “Find Your Healthier You.” If exact wording matters for your comms, check BNF’s latest materials on registration. TwinklBritish Nutrition Foundation

How do we get the resources?
BNF provides free downloadable packs for early years, primary, secondary and workplaces/adults via registration and partner wellbeing pages. Public Health Wales

Is there anything new for autumn 2025?
Yes—Snack-tember 2025 runs throughout September, focusing on healthier snacking with age-appropriate activities, recipes and posters for ages 5–16. British Nutrition Foundation

We’re a small team with limited time—what’s the minimum we can do?
Pick two of the five daily themes, run a hydration drive all week, and set up one simple cooking demo or a veg-tasting table. Share quick wins on your channels and invite families to try one swap at home.

Do we need specialist equipment?
No. Most activities use staples: chopping boards, basic knives, bowls, tins of pulses, budget veg and fruit, and access to water. For practical cooking, follow your setting’s risk assessments.

Is this medical advice?
No—this is general education and wellbeing guidance. For personal medical or dietary advice, speak to a registered healthcare professional.

Editorial timeline for organisers (suggested)

8–10 weeks out: Form a small planning group; choose which of the five themes you’ll run.
6 weeks out: Register for packs; confirm assemblies, room bookings, and canteen specials. Public Health Wales
3–4 weeks out: Publish your schedule; recruit student/employee ambassadors.
1–2 weeks out: Prep ingredients, posters and quizzes; brief staff and volunteers.
Week itself: Capture photos (permissions permitting), run daily moments, track simple metrics.
1 week after: Share outcomes; secure backing for Snack-tember and term-time food skills.

The bottom line

BNF Healthy Eating Week 2025 is your ready-made platform to build skills, confidence and momentum around food, hydration and movement. With the five practical pillars (facts, choices, planning, hydration and movement) you can create a lively, low-cost programme that fits your setting—then keep the momentum going with Snack-tember in September.

If you only do three things:

Lock in the dates (9–13 June 2025). Awareness Dayslivingwellnorthtyneside.co.uk
Register for free resources and pick your daily themes. Public Health Wales
Tell your story—measure small wins and share them to inspire others.

Bonus: copy-paste checklist

Dates published on website/newsletter
Registered and downloaded packs
Assembly slots booked (Mon & Fri)
Hydration stations and bottle signage
Canteen/menu swaps agreed
Lesson plans & worksheets printed/queued
Allergy-safe, culturally inclusive options confirmed
Photo permissions and safeguarding checks complete
Post-week survey/pulse ready